Pokemon Ranger: Transformation
by Kkoko88
Summary: When a new top ranger gets tangled up with the Helix division of Team Flare, she finds that she has the ability to transform into a pokemon. While this power helps in many ways, it also makes her a target for many criminal groups. Due to this, she is forced to go into hiding as a normal human, but perhaps Ash and the gang will help with more than keeping her identity secret.
1. Chapter 1

"Mission clear!" I announced, doing a small spin before raising my right hand with a flourish. It was my ranger pose, and my partner, Lucario, did a similar version of it next to me. A Scizor stood in front of me, finally calmed down. It had been injured by tiles that fell off a roof in Cyllage City, causing it to go wild in its pain. On top of attacking the city dwellers, it had injured its own trainer, and I was sent out soon after. "Okay, Scizor, let's get you back to the pokemon center and to your trainer. Nurse Joy will get you all fixed up," I said, but the Scizor needed no pushing from me.

Soon enough, I watched as the trainer gratefully hugged her pokemon, tears in her eyes. "Oh, Scizor, I was so worried about you! You don't know how happy it makes me to see that you're okay!" She said, sniffing slightly as more tears came. The tears slipped down, staining the white bandages that covered her injuries. She had dark blue hair and sky blue eyes, with fair skin. Her slender arms wrapped around Scizor, pulling it into a hug. After a moment, the pokemon reciprocated, happily embracing its trainer. After a moment, they separated, and the girl turned to me. "Thank you, ranger! Thank you so much! This means so much to me and Scizor. We'll never be able to thank you enough!" She cried out, a big grateful smile on her face.

This was one of the best parts of being a pokemon ranger. I loved seeing how happy the human or pokemon was after Lucario and I helped them. "It's okay. There's no need to thank us, so long as you're both safe and together again!" I answered with a smile of my own. Lucario nodded his approval next to me.

"I want to do something to thank you… How about this? Let's be friends! I don't think I ever told you my name, but it's Serena! You already know Scizor, but he's my partner. What's your name?" Serena asked, introducing herself.

After a moment, I replied, "My name's Kay, and this is my partner, Lucario." Lucario let out a friendly growl and bowed slightly. "I should be going, but I'm happy you're both safe now. Hopefully, we'll see each other again soon!"

Serena sat down at a table, talking to Scizor about everything she was excited about. That was when Lucario and I left. I was tempted to capture a Staraptor to get back to the ranger base sooner, but the day was too nice to resist. This mission had been a bit unusual, but I wasn't sure why. With my ranger rank going up, my missions were usually much more difficult than this, but I figured it must be Carla trying to give me a bit of a breather. The big woman had dark skin and eyes, with curly black hair. She had a brother in Almia named Barlow, but they didn't speak often. They were just too busy running their respective ranger bases to talk or even write to each other.

I sighed as I stepped into Lumiose City. I loved the atmosphere of the city, with all the different shops and restaurants. After a few minutes, I reached the ranger base and stepped in, looking around. All of the lights were off, and I reached for the switch, wondering what was going on.

Just as I turned the lights on, several voices shouted, "Surprise!" What was going on? My birthday wasn't for two months…

"Congratulations, Kay!" Joanna said, standing behind her desk. Joanna was our operator, and she always did a great job. She had blue eyes, and her hair was a midnight black, always held back in a braid. Carla was there as well, with one or two other rangers from our base. Tom, our mechanic, stood to the side, holding a wrapped box. His perpetually grease-smudged face was alight with happiness, and he stepped up to me, offering the box.

"It's a little something from all of us," he said, his voice rough. Uncertainly, I took the package and looked at it for a moment.

"What is this for?" I asked, looking around for an answer.

"Just open the present. We'll tell you in a minute, but we knew this day would be coming soon. We're all proud of everything you've accomplished in this ranger base," Carla replied, patting me on the back. Unfortunately, Carla was just as strong as her brother, and I almost dropped the gift as I stumbled. Lucario stepped forward just in time and caught it, handing it back to me.

"Thank you, Lucario," I said, pulling the ribbon and paper from the box. Reaching inside, my hand found a frame, which I gingerly lifted out. In the frame was a picture I had almost entirely forgotten about. It was from years ago, when I was just a little girl. It was the first time I had stepped into this very ranger base.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I remembered that day. I had been separated from my parents and become lost. Eventually, I had found myself in a dark, empty alley, and a man had come after me with his pokemon. A Riolu, the same one that became my partner pokemon, tried to protect me, but to no avail. The man's pokemon injured the Riolu before coming after me again. That was when Carla had appeared with her partner pokemon, Pangoro. She had rescued me and brought me and the Riolu back here, where it was safe. She had been patrolling when she heard the fighting and came to help. Later on, my parents were contacted, and I was brought home. Before that, Carla had insisted on a picture, something to hold on to.

In the picture, Carla, Tom, Joanna, and the other rangers of the base all stood around Riolu and me. From that day onward, Riolu attached itself to me, never leaving my side. Carla had been planning to release it, but she didn't get a chance to once the little pokemon had planted itself in the backseat of our car. No one could get the little guy out, and so he came home with us.

"Carla, everyone, thank you so much. This is amazing. I love it," I thanked, a deep smile on my face. "Now, I'd like to know why you all did something so special."

Carla chuckled, pulling me into a hug. "We don't want you to forget your roots, where everything started for you and Lucario. Joanna, will you do the honors?"

"I would be happy to. Kay, you've been selected to be a top ranger! We don't want you to forget about us when you're travelling around all the different regions, but we wanted to celebrate!" Joanna explained. "For now, you've been stationed here in Kalos, but top rangers move around a lot, depending on different situations. Professor Hastings is expecting you for a video call tomorrow morning, but we have until then to party!"

I was shocked, and I could see Lucario acting the same next to me. A moment later, the two of us jumped up and hugged each other. "We did it, Lucario! We've made it!" I shouted, grinning ecstatically.

The party went by in a blur after that, with music, cake, and stories being told. As I lay in my bed that night, I slowly drifted off to sleep, wondering what the future had in store for Lucario and me. When I woke the next morning, I found a new uniform sitting on my dresser with a note attached.

The note said, "Kay, Professor Hastings had these sent over for you. It's a newer version of our uniforms. It has a number of advancements that he'll explain in your meeting today. Soon enough, we might all have these, but only top rangers have them for now. I hope you like them!"

Once I pulled the new uniform on, I looked in the mirror at myself. The uniform had a short red vest, blue shorts, a pair of red and blue shoes, a blue and white shirt, a pair of goggles, and a new styler. With my short curly blond hair and green eyes, I thought it looked nice. The size was perfect, and I smiled at the new look, enjoying the new change.

"Good morning, Kay. I hope you slept well," Joanna greeted, flashing a smile at me. "Your meeting will begin shortly, and everything's all set up. All you have to do is click start."

"Thanks, Joanna. I'll be sure to do that," I replied, moving toward a video screen in a quieter room. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the button and watched as the professor's face appeared. "Hello, Professor Hastings, I wanted to thank you for choosing me to be a top ranger. It's an honor," I thanked.

Professor Hastings shook his head and said, "You're perfectly qualified at this point, but we're in need of your services right away. In the Kalos region, where you're located, we've noticed some strange occurrences. Pokemon have gone wild for no apparent reason, and many more have disappeared into thin air. We believe that there's something going on, and we'd like you to investigate.

"Before that, we've made some upgrades to your uniform and gear. First of all, you have the fine styler now, which is a much more powerful version of the normal styler. The goggles have night vision and x-ray vision capabilities, and the clothes themselves are much more durable and protective. They also have inborn climate adaptors to keep you from freezing or overheating in extreme climates. Do you understand everything?" I nodded, and the professor continued, "That's everything then. Please report any findings you make to the operators here."

With that, the screen went blank. "Wow, a mission just like that… I guess we should get going then," I murmured. Unsure where to even begin, Lucario and I left the base, looking around the city. Finally, I sat down for a rest, Lucario next to me. "This isn't going too well so far… Do you have any ideas, Lucario?" I asked, but Lucario was acting strangely. An unusual glint had appeared in his eye, and he stood up, walking as if in a trance toward one of the exits to the city. "Lucario, where are you going?" I asked, walking next to him.

Lucario didn't respond, focused on something else. Maybe this was my chance to find out what was going on, but I didn't like using Lucario like this… I contented myself with following my partner for now, but I would be ready to break Lucario out of the trance if the need arose. After what felt like an eternity of walking, other pokemon joined us in our march, all with the same look in their eyes. They all seemed to be fighting types, but I didn't see why that might be.

Slowly, a building rose in front of us, and I sensed the danger just in time to pull Lucario to the side and into the bushes. He fought for a moment before the light in his eyes returned to normal. He looked up at me in confusion, as if he didn't know where he was. I only put a finger to my lips and pointed to the truck that had pulled up. Doors opened and slammed shut, and voices called out.

"Alright, fighting types! Into the building, now!" One of them ordered, and I managed to catch a glimpse of who it was. The man was wearing a bright red suit, and his hair had been dyed red and slicked up into a strange style. Others in the same style were herding the pokemon into the building, unaware that we were watching from the bushes.

"What could be going on in there?" I asked, leaning forward to get a better look. "I think we're going to have to go in there, Lucario. How to get in though… there haven't been many pokemon in the surrounding area to get assistance from. Maybe that's because of those people in the garish suits." Lucario nodded, seeming like he was deep in thought. He stood up and shook his head when I started to stand up. He held out his paws, telling me to stay here. We knew each other so well that I could almost tell what he was thinking. He wanted me to stay and keep an eye on the incoming pokemon while he tried something. This way we wouldn't leave any stone unturned.

As Lucario stepped away into the trees, I turned my eyes to the road, watching all the different pokemon march past. I shrunk back slightly as one, a Machop, noticed me and ambled in my direction, fighting whatever was controlling it. In an instant, one of the goons had stepped in front of my hiding place, a remote in his hands. "What are you doing over here? The technology should be telling you to go to the facility," he said, pushing the small pokemon back toward the building. "Maybe I should increase the output to avoid incidences like these…" he muttered, turning a dial on the remote. Before I could blink, the pokemon had gone from in a trance to robots.

Finally, the procession of pokemon ended, and all that was left was silence. Lucario should have been back by now, and a seed of worry began to grow in my heart. I stood up, stretching my stiff legs. "I thought he had been freed from that mind control, but maybe it caught him again when the grunt turned that dial up," I said, pacing back and forth.

My pacing frightened a Fletchling out of a tree, giving me an opportunity. "Capture on!" I called out as I repeated the familiar process, conveying my feelings of friendship with the tiny flying type. This was my first time using the fine styler, so it amazed me just how much more powerful it was than a normal styler. "Fletchling, will you please fly around this building and look for a Lucario? If you can find him, will you please lead me there?" I asked, and the Fletchling happily took off, flitting through the air.

The Fletchling returned several minutes later, confirming my fears. Lucario wasn't outside the building or in the surrounding area. "Thank you for your assistance, Fletchling. You did great," I complimented, but my mind was on other things. I needed to get into the facility, but the entrances I could see looked heavily guarded. There was a pipe leading to the roof that I could climb, but there might not be a way into the building from there. It was my only chance, though.

Between different pairs of guards doing their rounds, I snuck over to the pipe and waited for my opportunity. It didn't take long, and I scrambled up the pipe, unable to look down. I may not have been deathly afraid of heights, but they did make me nervous. I turned my gaze upward, toward my goal. That always helped, as did deep breaths. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the top, pulling myself over the edge and onto the rough surface of the roof. When I stood up, I noticed a trap door set into the roof below me, and I slowly pulled it open. The area below was empty, so I lowered myself down and dropped in, finding myself in a pristine white laboratory. Beakers, test tubes, and chemicals lined the wall, and lab coats hung on hooks next to the door.

It took a bit of ducking and weaving through different hallways and rooms, but I managed to find a holding cell with hundreds of pokemon inside. None moved as I crept into the room, but a separate cell held a pokemon that was weakly thrashing and attempting to escape. I flinched as I realized that it was Lucario. He looked like he was in immense pain, fighting but growing weaker. "Lucario!" I called out, sprinting forward. There was a keypad next to the cell, but I needed a keyword in order to use it. "Hang in there, Lucario. I'll get you out of there!"

I tried using my styler on one of the pokemon in the larger cell, but it wasn't working. I had returned to Lucario's cell to try something else, but that was when I heard voices. "Years of research have led up to this, but without your funding, we would have been nowhere close to completion. Thank you for providing us with the chance to do this," one said, obviously grateful. The voice was nasally, coming from the hall. It stopped in front of the cell, and I ducked behind a Machamp just in time for the door to open.

"As long as you provide us with the results, it will have been worth it, doctor. Now, why is that Lucario over there still able to move while your little side project is functioning? It shouldn't be able to even move a muscle right now, yet it's making plenty of movement," the other voice replied. It belonged to a woman with a cold, emotionless voice. Sneaking a glance, I saw that she wore a simple red dress, and her hair was blond without a single curl or wave. She stood in front of Lucario, examining him.

The doctor was small, with a forgettable face and dull gray hair. He wasted no time in explaining, "We believe that this one has a very strong bond with someone, its trainer or someone else. It's very abnormal, but no pokemon can withstand the waves for very long. There are a few other factors, but this Lucario will succumb within an hour or two. It will be no different than the others."

The woman didn't reply. Instead, she turned and left, the doctor on her heels. "Bring that Lucario to the laboratory. You know what to do," she finally said, her voice fading as she walked down the hall. I couldn't hear the doctor's response, but he seemed surprised by the choice.

I had stood up again to check on Lucario, but the doctor had returned with two assistants. From my hiding spot, I watched as Lucario, looking much weaker than before, was pulled from the cell and led down the hall. Silently, I followed them, trying to come up with a possible reason for this. In the end, the foursome entered the lab I had broken in through.

"Prepare the Lucario for DNA extraction," the woman from before instructed, but I couldn't wait any longer. I burst into the room, knocking down a cart as I ran to Lucario.

"You won't be doing anything to Lucario, or to any of the other pokemon, for that matter!" I shouted, looking angrily at the surprised doctors. The woman didn't seem quite as ruffled, but there was an annoyed glint in her eyes.

"It seems that someone let a pokemon ranger in. I'll have to punish those grunts later… There's nothing you can do, little ranger. We in the Helix division of Team Flare have been planning this for a long time, and one ranger, a child if we're being honest, can't stop us now. Continue, doctors. I'll deal with this pest. Ranger, you should be grateful, for you have the honor of facing Virusa, an elite of the elite in the Helix division," she said, a bored expression crossing her face. "Come forth and crush the little bug, Pangoro!" Virusa called out, pulling a pokeball out and tossing it into the air.

I barely had any time to react as the massive pokemon lumbered toward me. The first time, I was able to dodge, but the Pangoro caught my arm the second time and held me aloft. After a moment, it grabbed my other arm, but I kept struggling. The pokemon prepared to start crushing me, but Virusa held out a hand. "Wait, you can crush her after we pull the DNA from Lucario. I have a feeling this might be the person Lucario has such a strong bond with, which will make this much more fun," she commanded. Turning to the doctors, she asked, "Is it ready yet?"

All of them nodded, and the doctor in charge stepped over to a machine in the corner of the room, flipping a switch to turn it on. "Virusa, it is all prepared," he announced, and Lucario, still struggling weakly, was strapped in. "We will go ahead with the extraction now." The machine began to whir and hum as the doctors watched.

"No! Don't do this!" I cried out, finding new strength. The Pangoro had relaxed its grip slightly, letting me break free. I stumbled forward, struggling with the straps holding Lucario in.

"Get away from there! There's no telling what'll happen if a human and a pokemon are in there at the same time!" The second doctor shouted, moving forward to pull me out. That was when the last strap pulled loose. I supported Lucario and tried to get away in time, but that was when I felt it, the most excruciating, blinding pain I'd ever known before. Nothing compared to it. I was changing, my form, my senses, and my mind, but I couldn't comprehend anything. I shrieked but couldn't even hear myself. Finally, I gratefully blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Bright lights shined down from above, pulling me from my dreamless sleep. A groan slipped from my throat, and I pried my eyes open. "W-what happened?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes. Something felt off, but I wasn't sure what until I took a closer look at my hand. It wasn't a hand, at closer inspection, but a paw. "What the… What's going on?" I asked, trying to keep calm.

"You're awake. Three days, and you've finally deigned to join us, little ranger," Virusa said, alerting me to her presence. That was when it all came back to me, from following Lucario to the facility to blacking out in the laboratory.

"Where's Lucario? What have you done with him?" I asked, but that was when I realized that Virusa showed no indication of knowing what I said. I moved to the bars separating us, clinging to them. My gait felt unusual, but I didn't dare take my eyes off Virusa.

"Sorry, but I can't understand pokemon, no matter how hard I try… I'll assume that you were asking about your partner though. Lucario seems to be fine, although it hasn't woken up yet. You should know, you've really put a wrench in our plans. The Helix Machine has been demolished, and all of the DNA stored within it seems to have latched onto you. Our original plans have been set back by years, but not all is lost. I've taken the liberty of having this mirror brought in here for you," Virusa replied, but I was confused.

Well, I was confused until my eyes drifted to the mirror. In it stood a Lucario, pulling angrily at the bars of the cell. I stepped back, and the Lucario stepped back too. "No, this isn't right! How am I a pokemon? How is this possible?" I asked, falling back against the wall. "I'm human! I know it!" Pushing myself back up, I rushed at the bars, but I knew it was useless. "What did you do to me?" I almost screamed. Not thinking about it, a long bone staff appeared in my paw, and I slashed at the bars. Unfortunately, that didn't work.

Virusa sighed, as if she were bored. Finally, she chastised, "I can see that you're angry, but those bars are built to hold pokemon. You won't be able to get out. Anyway, I'll continue. Now that you've seen yourself, you can see why you're important to us. You're an unknown variable, with unlimited potential. Fighting types weren't the first pokemon we took for DNA, you should know. The Helix division has been working on something very special. You don't need to know, but you've become a very big part of a new plan. I'll leave you with that for now…"

I glared at her as she walked into the corridor, leaving me alone. Eventually, I turned and sat against the wall, staring at the ceiling. I hoped that Virusa had been telling the truth, that Lucario was okay. A few minutes passed, and I watched as a panel in the ceiling opened. A metal hand lowered, holding a tray of pokemon food. It set the tray down and retracted into its panel, leaving the room in silence yet again. I didn't feel hungry, but I took a few bites of the food, surprised at the flavor. It was actually really good tasting, and it reminded me of home.

I felt a slight shift then, pulling my human self forward from all the other DNA now inside me. Now that I had changed once, I was aware that I could change into several pokemon, each a different type. I could also feel other pokemon, but they were buried deeper, out of reach. "That's it! I think I can get out of here now…" I whispered, seeing that one of the pokemon was small enough to slide through the bars.

I smiled, feeling a second change wash over me. I took a second look in the mirror and was pleased with the sight. I had become a Pichu, just the right size to squeeze out of the cell. It was definitely squeezing, but I made it. I debated whether to return to my human form before deciding against it. A human would be easier to see than a tiny pokemon like Pichu.

I didn't know where to look for Lucario, but the holding cell from before held promise. My instincts were right; Lucario was in the same place as last time, but he was unconscious this time. Again, I pushed my way through the bars and scurried over to my partner. "Lucario, please wake up! We need to get out of here and report back on what's going on," I tried, nudging him. "Please… We don't have much time." I shook him again, but it wasn't working. As concerned as I was, I was getting annoyed. "Wake up, Lucario!" I shouted, letting out a burst of electricity.

Lucario's eyes flicked open, and he pushed himself into a sitting position. "What happened? Kay, is that you? Why are you a pokemon?" He asked, looking curiously at me.

"It's me, and I'm not really sure for the other two questions. We screwed up their plans, but apparently this is a side effect of that machine. We need to get out of here, but are you okay?" I answered, putting forth a question of my own. I pushed my way out of the cell and looked at the keypad above me. I was getting the hang of this, little by little, and I let out a small burst of electricity, shorting out the lock. With that, the bars slid open with ease.

"I'm fine, Kay. Don't worry about me. I'm more worried about you," Lucario replied. "Are you stuck like that? I mean, it's amazing being able to talk to you, but I don't want you to be trapped as a pokemon…"

I shook my head and said, "I'm not stuck like this. I'm able to shift between being a pokemon and a human, and I can be more than one pokemon. Watch." With that, I transformed into a Lucario before returning to my Pichu form. "I think it's better to stay a pokemon for now, but we need to get going. They'll realize I'm gone from my cell any minute now."

Lucario nodded before holding out a paw. "We'll move faster if I carry you. Hop on," he explained, leaving me to hop up. I stumbled once but regained my balance quickly, settling on Lucario's shoulder. "Hold on tight."

I held on for dear life as I was almost thrown off immediately, to my embarrassment. I had no idea how other small pokemon did it with their trainers or bigger pokemon. Lucario stopped for a moment, sniffing at the air. Then, he took off again, taking a corner without slowing. "I can smell and hear those people in the suits. They must have noticed that you and I are gone," he said, stopping again at an intersection and checking for guards. "They're getting closer, but I think we can make it out to the forest."

As if on cue, shouts started ringing through the halls behind us, accompanied by clattering footsteps. "That sounded really close…" I mumbled, looking back for a moment. I saw a flash of red behind us before Lucario pushed open a door and stepped into the sunlight. "Lucario, let's head for Lumiose City for now. We can slip into the crowds there, and we'll be able to get to the ranger base after," I suggested, jumping off Lucario's shoulder and transforming into a Lucario. "I can run now that we're out of the hideout, so let's get going."

We took off, side by side, into the forest. We avoided the road, but we kept pretty close to it. Soon enough, we had left the Helix division behind, and the city loomed ahead of us. "I think it's safe for you to turn into a human again, Kay. It's probably not a good idea for you to change in front of humans, anyway," Lucario said, and I nodded. In a moment, I was human again, and I released a pent up breath, seeing my own self again. "It's good to see you back to normal," Lucario commented, surprising me.

"Huh, I can still understand you," I said, looking at Lucario carefully.

"You do? Nice, we'll still be able to talk!" Lucario responded, grinning happily. It was unusual, but I heard both his growl and his voice, like two music tracks being played at once.

"I do, but it feels more like telepathy than before, or as if we're talking on a phone. It'll be nice talking though, and we'll be able to work together even better than before," I agreed, failing at describing the feeling.

"It's fine, so long as we understand each other. Let's head back to the Lumiose City base and report in. Professor Hastings is sure to be concerned about what we've been doing," my partner answered, cutting right to the chase. With a nod, we made our way into the city, watching carefully for any sign that we were being followed. There were so many people going about their business in the city that it would be hard to spot anyone following us, but we hoped that we would be able to pick out the bright red suits and hair of the Team Flare grunts. Eventually, we reached the ranger base and stepped through the doors, thoroughly exhausted.

Carla was waiting for us, a displeased look on her face. It melted as she took in our appearance, and she exclaimed, "Kay, Lucario! You're back! Professor Hastings contacted us, asking us to keep an eye out for you. He said the GPS in your styler disappeared, and you weren't responding to any calls. What happened to the two of you?"

"It's a very long story, but we needed a safe place to call the professor from. You can join us while we talk," I replied. I was just too drained to say more at the moment.

Carla pulled Lucario and me into a hug, squeezing the breath out of us. She had always been a hugger. "Alright, so long as the two of you are safe. You can go ahead then, I'll be in in just a minute."

"Thanks, Carla," I said, letting out a sigh of relief. Sitting down in front of the phone, I gathered my thoughts. I needed to be as clear as possible, and I couldn't act like a scared little kid. I was almost eighteen, too old to break down. Finally, I called Professor Hastings, just as Carla joined Lucario and me. "You're just in time. The professor should be picking up any minute now." I was right, but I hadn't anticipated just how immediately Hastings would pick up. The video phone had only rung once before the professor's image appeared, an operator next to him.

"Ranger Kay, what's the situation? Are you okay? The signal from your styler disappeared for almost three days," Hastings asked off the bat, his stern face filling the screen.

"It's a long story, but there's a group called Team Flare that's stealing pokemon, based on my investigation. They used some sort of frequency, a sound too high for me to hear, to draw pokemon in. It affected Lucario, at least until I snapped him out of it near the factory. They had their sights set on fighting types, but I'm almost certain they've taken other types before. I don't know where they've taken them, but they've also taken fairy types, electric types, flying types, and water types," I explained, pausing for a moment. I didn't explain how I knew this, but I could feel it, the different pokemon whose DNA resided within me now.

I continued now, "In the process of infiltrating the building, Lucario fell back under the control of Team Flare, but he kept fighting it. It caught the attention of one of the higher-ups, who decided to use Lucario in their plans. She called herself Virusa, and she said she was one of the strongest in the Helix division. She had Lucario brought to a lab, where he was placed in a machine to extract his DNA, but that was when I jumped in to put a stop to it. Virusa tried to stop me with her Pangoro, but I managed to break free from its grasp. I started pulling Lucario from the machine, but we were both trapped in its ray. The machine wasn't built to work with both a human and a pokemon in it, so it backfired, knocking us both out. We were both unconscious for three days, and when I awoke, I found that I had changed." I watched Hastings and the operators faces, looking for any signs of emotion, but it was like staring at a brick wall. They were analyzing, their thoughts only on my report, breaking down the bits and pieces.

Carla was the first to speak, "You changed? What do you mean by that?" She gave me a questioning look, obviously worried that I had been hurt.

I sighed, looking at Carla. "I think the best way to explain is to show you," I replied, standing and stepping away from the phone. "Professor, can you see?" I asked, and he nodded, concentrated on me. "Well, here goes…" Reaching within, I transformed into my Pichu form. Everything was much bigger, so I hopped clumsily up to the camera. "This is what I meant," I said, before forgetting that no one but Lucario could understand me.

I jumped back down, returning to human form. "This is what I meant," I repeated, keeping my expression calm. "I can also understand pokemon now. When I woke up, I was in a cell, and Virusa was waiting for me. She didn't say much, but she told me I had set the Helix division's plans back by quite a bit, although she mentioned new plans. Those plans include me, most likely because I have this ability now. Once I got the hang of transforming, I was able to transform into a Pichu and squeeze my way through the bars and find Lucario. We broke out after that and made our way here. It took a while, but we had to be careful on our way back."

I couldn't name it, but Professor Hastings had an unusual look on his face, as if he were a little kid getting a new toy. There was a trace of worry as well, but he seemed determined. "Stay at the Lumiose City ranger base for now. I'd rather walk, but there's no choice. I'll be on the next flight to Kalos. I'd like to study this further, and I'll bring one of the top rangers stationed here in Almia with me to help keep an eye on things. I think it would be prudent to have a second top ranger there. In the meantime, you need to look as little like a pokemon ranger as possible; staying hidden is of the essence for you right now," he said. He turned to the operator waiting beside him, and asked, "Rythmi, would you relay this information to Keith and tell him to join me in the Kalos region?"

"Of course, professor. I'll let him know immediately," she replied, smiling at the professor. With that, she walked out of view of the camera.

After a moment, one of the other operators rushed up to Hastings. "Professor! We've got a problem! One of our undercover rangers has reported that a bounty has been placed on Top Ranger Kay! It seems that a notice was sent out, with her ability detailed. The group that the ranger who reported in is with has already sent members to start searching for her," she explained, surprising me. It shouldn't have gotten to me, but it did. I should have expected this.

"I'll be careful not to get caught by anyone. I promise, Professor Hastings," I assured, trying to smile a bit.

"Don't leave the ranger base for now. I'll be over soon; it's not a long flight from Almia to Kalos," Hastings instructed, and I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes. I was being treated like a little kid. The screen went dead, and I turned around, standing up.

"Carla, I promise that I'm fine. You don't need to coddle me," I said, holding up my hands in defense. "Sorry about this!" I called out, stepping toward the door. Just as she reached to hug me, I turned into a Pichu and scampered out the door, Lucario behind me. In my old room, I changed back and pulled some of my street clothes on, a blue skirt, a white and blue blouse, and a pair of red sneakers. On top of my shirt, I put on a tight red jacket that cut off about two inches above my belly button. "Perfect, I think this looks good," I commented, looking in the mirror.

"You look nice, Kay. Don't fuss so much over your clothes," Lucario chimed in from my bed, although he wasn't looking. He was lying down, staring up at the ceiling. My parents had always said the same thing to me when I was younger, and Lucario had always seemed to agree. Now, I could hear it from him directly.

"I wasn't fussing, Lucario! You know that," I replied, grabbing a pair of red sunglasses and setting them on my head. Lucario was just joking, but it was always fun to play along. "Anyway, move over. It's my bed too, and I want to rest until Professor Hastings gets here," I said, playfully pushing Lucario over a bit.

"Sure, I can do that," Lucario responded, moving over a bit to let me lie down. "Hey, Kay?" He asked after a moment.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think we'll do now? If it's true that a bounty has been put out on you, then it seems like a lot of people will be after you… It'll be really hard to clear missions and help anyone who needs saving when lots of villains interfere," Lucario asked, turning to look at me.

I sighed, looking at my partner. "I'm not really sure yet, Lucario. We need to assess the situation and decide on the best course of action. I do know one thing, though. We'll still be together, no matter what. That's all that matters," I replied, smiling. Lucario smiled back, about to reply, when there was a loud crash. "Let's check it out, Lucario!" I called out, leaping to my feet.

I took one moment to grab my styler and ran to the main area of the base, Lucario on my heels. "Carla! What happened?" I asked, but the leader of the ranger base had her hands full capturing three Golbats.

"You want to know what happened? We came for the ranger who can turn into a pokemon, that's what," a voice called from outside. A man and a woman walked into the base, clad in unusual space suits with dyed teal hair. The letter G was printed in yellow on the suits. The woman was the one who had spoken, and she continued, "We, part of Team Galactic, will revive our team using the money for her capture. Everything will be much easier and less painful if she just gives herself up. To get a good start resurrecting Team Galactic, we'll take your Lucario as well."

"Come out, Ranger! We'll hurt this kid if you don't!" The man called out, pulling a poke ball from his belt. "Come out, Purugly! Draw the ranger out by attacking that kid!" A Purugly launched out, landing heavily on the floor. For the moment, the pair hadn't realized that I was the ranger they were looking for, but I couldn't expect that to last for long.

"Sorry, but you can't draw the ranger out by attacking me…" I commented, pulling up my sleeves. "Capture on!" I called out, hoping my feelings of friendship would get through to the cat pokemon. After a moment, I finished the capture, and the Purugly calmed down a bit. It looked unhappy, and I suspected these grunts had taken it from its original trainer. "You'll need to do more than that to catch me, and there's not a chance I'll let you take Lucario!"

"Uh oh! Let's retreat for now!" The woman shouted and turned toward the door, just as Carla lifted her into the air by the collar. Carla had also grabbed the other grunt, and she tossed the pair down to the floor.

"Put all of your poke balls down and get against the wall. Kay, will you alert Officer Jenny that we have these two?" Carla instructed. Once the two had done so, she picked up the poke balls and returned the pokemon to them. While Carla did this, I walked to the phone and called the station. "Did you steal these pokemon?" Carla asked, and the grunts nodded nervously, too scared to speak. "Were you acting alone? If not, how many others are there?"

The woman gulped, taking a breath. "Yes, we were alone, but we know that others were sent the same message that we were…" She said, cringing slightly. "It was a blanket message to almost every criminal group that used to or is still operating. We saw it as an opportunity to bring Team Galactic back from the ashes…"

"Fine then, but Officer Jenny is certain to have more questions for you. Don't even think about trying to escape," Carla said, crossing her arms menacingly.

I hung up the phone, rejoining the three. "I've called Officer Jenny, and she should be here in a few minutes. So, you captured the Golbats and calmed them down?" I asked, looking up at Carla.

"Perfect, and yeah. The three pokemon these two had have calmed down. For now, we'll just keep a close eye on these guys," Carla answered, casting a stern glance at the grunts. I walked over to the wall, leaning against it. Lucario joined me after a moment, but he was tense.

"It's okay, Lucario. I'm fine," I assured, but he didn't seem convinced.


End file.
